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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. court — of law
  5. court — of a king
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. pit — a hole
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fork — in a road
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. court — for sport
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. pit — in a race
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com